glossary
ageya: house of assignation, where patrons made appointments with courtesans in the pleasure quarters; precursor of the geisha teahouse
asobi: literally, “play”; the time spent with geisha, courtesans or other entertainers
awase: lined kimono worn in autumn and winter
biwa: four or five-stringed traditional Japanese lute played with a plectrum
cha-tate onna: “tea-brewing woman” -precursors of the geisha
chokibune: light, swift, single-oared boats, used to take customers along the River Sumida to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter
daimyo: provincial princes or warlords who governed their own domains but had to swear loyalty to the shogun
danna: literally “husband” or “master”; a male customer or patron of geisha or tayu
Edo: name for Tokyo until 1868; also name of period of Japanese history from 1603 - 1868
Edokko: “child of Edo”; a native of Edo, Edo born and bred
enkai: banquet, geisha party (word used by customers, but not geisha)
eri: stiff brocade collar or neckband worn under the top layer of kimono
erikae: “changing of the collar”; ritual marking the transition from maiko to geisha
furisode: “swinging-sleeve” kimono worn by unmarried girls; term used for fake maiko of Asakusa
gei: arts or entertainment
geiko: “arts child”; term for geisha in Kyoto and some other cities
hakama: traditional starched and pleated man’s kimono
hana-dai: “flower money”; a geisha’s wages
hanamachi: “flower town”; geisha district
han-gyoku: “half-jewel”; trainee geisha in Tokyo (equivalent in Kyoto is maiko)
haori: a loose, square-cut jacket worn over the kimono; adopted by Fukugawa geisha from the late eighteenth century
hari: “attitude” or “style”; used of the Yoshiwara courtesans of the seventeenth century
hiki-iwai: celebration of retirement from geisha life
homu baa: “home bar”; a small private bar in a teahouse
ichigen san kotowari: “the first time customer is refused”; the “no strangers” rule followed by geisha
iki: “chic,” “style,” or “cool”; originated among the geisha of Edo
jiutamai: form of classical Japanese dance practiced by geisha, particularly the geisha of Gion, linked to the dance forms of the Noh theater
joruri: Japanese narrative music
kabuki: traditional popular theater, characterized by spectacular drama, splendid costumes and melodramatic performance style; many kabuki plays tell stories of the floating world
kabuku: “to frolic” or “to be wild or outrageous”
kaburenjo: “music dance practice place”; headquarters of each geisha district, housing a theater, classrooms and the union offices of that district
kamuro: child attendant(s) of a courtesan
kata: “form”; the proper way of doing something
katsuyama: the most complex of the maiko’s topknot hairstyles, named after a seventeenth century courtesan who popularized it. (picture)
kawaramono: “riverbed folk”; underclass in Edo-period Japan, primarily popular entertainers, including musicians, jesters, actors and courtesans, who performed in dry riverbeds
keisei: “castle-toppers”; courtesans of legendary beauty
kemban: the geisha union or registry office; each geisha district has its own kemban
kiyomoto: form of classical narrative song practiced by geisha
kokyuu: “North-Chinese-barbarian bow”; ancient three-stringed lute played with a bow
koushi: second rank of courtesan
koto: thirteen-stringed classical zither
ko-uta: “short song”; characteristic geisha songs accompanied by the shamisen
maiko: “dancing girl”; apprentice geisha in Kyoto
mama-san: “mother”; owner of a bar
minarai: “learning by observation”; early stages of geisha training before becoming a maiko
misedashi: “store opening”; maiko’s debut
mizu shobai: “water trade”; the sex industry
mizuage: “raising or offering up the waters”; sexual initiation of an apprentice geisha or courtesan
momme: silver nugget; 1/60 of a ryo in Edo-period Japan
nigo-san: “number-two wife”; concubine
Nihon buyo: “Japanese dance”; the main form of classical Japanese dance practiced by geisha, closely linked to the dance and dramas of kabuki
Noh: Japanese classical theater, patronized by the samurai classes since the late fourteenth century; considered “respectable” whereas kabuki was not
obi: wide, stiff sash worn around the waist, over a kimono
ochaya: “honorable teahouse”; place where banquets are held and geisha work, offering music, dance and conversation; food, if offered, is brought in from a caterer
odori-ko: “dancing child”; professional dancing girls
odori-kai: dance meet
ofuku: maiko’s second hairstyle; in the past it signified that she was no longer a virgin; now the mark of a second-year maiko. (picture)
ohayo dosu or ohayo san dosu: “good morning” (dialect of Kyoto women, particularly geisha)
oiran: highest rank of courtesan in Edo, from the eighteenth century onward
oka basho: “hill places”; unlicensed teahouse and brothel areas in old Japan
okami-san: proprietress of a geisha house or teahouse
okaasan: “mother”; proprietress of a geisha house
oki-ni: “thank you” (Kyoto dialect)
okiya: house where geisha live
okobo: high wooden clogs worn by maiko
onee-san: “older sister”
onnagata: male kabuki actors specializing in women’s roles
otokoshi: “male staff”; geisha’s assistant, nowadays usually a middle-aged woman rather than a man
o-zashiki: “honorable tatami room”; geisha term for a banquet or party
rakugo: Japanese comic monologue
ro: loosely woven silk gauze, used to make summer kimonos
ryo: currency in Edo-period Japan worth 4 gold nuggets; about $450 in contemporary currency
ryotei: high-class Tokyo restaurant, serving Japanese haute cuisine and where geisha can be called to entertain
sakko: hairstyle worn for the last month before a maiko graduates to become a geisha (picture)
sancha: teahouse waitresses-cum-courtesans in old Japan
san-san-kudo: “three times three, nine times”; ritual of exchange of cups of sake in a wedding ceremony or a maiko’s ceremony of sisterhood
shamisen: literally “three taste strings” or “strings of three tastes”; three-stringed banjo-like instrument played with a plectrum, associated with kabuki and geisha
shikitari: tradition, custom
shikomi: “in training”; first stage in a geisha house, before
minarai; the new entrant acts as a housemaid, goes to school and takes her first classes in music and dance
Shinto: “The Way of the Gods”; native Japanese religion. Shinto places of worship are usually red-painted and referred to as “shrines” to differentiate them from Buddhist temples
shirabyoshi: “white rhythm”; song and dance performance characterized by a strongly marked rhythm and popular in the twelfth century; the word is also used to refer to the dancer/prostitutes who practiced it
shogun: “generalissimo”; military ruler of Japan during the Edo period, nominally under the emperor but in reality all-powerful
shogunate: the shogun’s government
sui: ideal of “chic” or “sophistication” in seventeenth-century Kyoto and Osaka
tabi: white linen socks with the big toe separated
taikomochi: “drum-bearer”; jester or male geisha
tamago: “egg”; used to refer to shikomi, the first stage of maiko training
tatami: rice straw matting, several inches thick, inset to make the floor of a traditional Japanese room
tayuu: highest rank of courtesan in Kyoto in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries
tokonoma: alcove which forms part of a Japanese room and always contains a flower arrangement and a hanging scroll; the position of honor, where the guest is seating, is in front of the tokonoma
torii: portal marking the entrance to a Shinto shrine, made of wood, painted red and shaped rather like a Stonehenge henge
tsu: a sophisticated man about town, a connoisseur
tsuzumi: a small hourglass-shaped drum
ukiyo: “the floating world”; a Buddhist term meaning “the transience of all things,” adopted to refer to the world of courtesans
ukiyo-e: “painting of the floating world”; woodblock print of the courtesans of the pleasure quarters
waka: classical Japanese poetic form of thirty-one syllables
ware-shinobu: maiko’s first hairstyle (picture)
yakko-shimada: sweeping, elegant maiko hairstyle worn for the New Year celebrations (picture)
yukata: simple cotton kimono for informal occasions or as a dressing gown-cum-nightwear